প্রকাশ: 18/04/2022
The Padma Multipurpose Bridge Authority has said the
country’s biggest bridge is set to be opened for traffic in June this year as
they by now completed 92 percent of its construction works.
“Our target is to open the 6.15-kilometer-long Bridge within
June this year,” Padma Multipurpose Bridge Authority’s Project Director Md
Shafiqul Islam told BSS today.
He said 97 percent of the construction of the main structure
of the bridge was completed while in terms of total construction and related
works, 92 percent was finished by now.
“We have been working relentlessly to complete the rest
eight percent within the stipulated time in line with the directives of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina,” the project chief said.
Officials including morphologists familiar with the
development said completion of the river training remained to be the major task
while they calculated the progress of the segment to be 90.5 percent.
The structure is aimed to link by road the entire southwestern region with
Dhaka and other parts of the country drastically shortening the journey time
benefitting trade and millions of people in person.
Economists said the Padma Bridge would increase the
country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 1.5 to 2 percent and change
particularly the economic landscape of Bangladesh’s southwestern part promoting
tourism, industry alongside the routine trades.
The premier along with Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh
Rehana visited the site on December 31 last year to witness herself the work
progress when they walked on the bridge for two kilometers from pillar no 7 to
18 in the morning on that day.
“We have been eagerly waiting for the grand opening of the
bridge in June,” a Shariatpur bound passenger of the route Md Shariful Islam
said.
Sheikh Hasina earlier announced her government would
construct the bridge with Bangladesh’s own fund, discarding dependence on
foreign donors like the World Bank which questioned the accountability and
transparency of fund management of the project even before the project was
launched.
The subsequent developments suggested the allegation to be
baseless or unfounded but the government kept on its promise not to accept
foreign lending to construct the bridge.
Political analysts said the implementation of Padma Bridge
project, one of the major election pledges of Awami League, would benefit the
incumbent government during the 2023 elections.
Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) officials said some 22
meters wide concrete deck slab with 4-lane road on upper deck would feature the
structure, while a single-track dual gauge railway track would be installed on
lower deck.
They said the bridge will also have a 760 mm dia gas
transmission line, 150 mm dia Fiber optical & telephone duct, high voltage
electric line, platform in River over pile foundation at two km downstream of
the main bridge.
China’s Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBEC) is
constructing the main bridge and its Sino Hydro Corporation was assigned with
the task of river management.
The official data showed Sheikh Hasina opened the
construction work on December 12, 2015 and the first span of the bridge was
installed at the Jajira point of Shariatpur on October 7, 2017.
Along with Bangladeshis, many foreign nationals have been working round the clock for the project.
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